Read Online Her Grace in Disgrace (The Widows of Woburn Place) by Claudia Harbaugh - Free Book Online

envelope. Mercer calmly placed it by his
wine glass and nodded to his wife as a sign that the ladies were free to go. Isobel
regretfully left Lord Westcott’s side.
    “The Museum Room,” Lady
Mercer directed the two footmen who were assisting Miss Hyde-Price. Her mother had
insisted, and they all had assumed that Miss Hyde-Price would dine on a tray in
her room, the doctor having diagnosed a sprained ankle and prescribed bed rest
for the young lady. But Miss Hyde-Price was used to getting her own way and she
was determined not to miss a moment of the house party languishing in her room.
Heedless of the inconvenience it caused her host and hostess, Miss Hyde-Price had
coaxed and pleaded and ultimately wheedled her way downstairs, flanked by two
burly footmen. To her it was quite simple. If Lord Saybrooke was to dine
downstairs, then so was she.
    The Museum Room was at the
back of the house with French doors that led to the garden. It was so named
because of the number of expensive and impressive paintings that graced the
room. Mercer was an avid art collector and Isobel recognized a Rubens and at
least two Vermeer’s. Before the advent of Lady Mercer the room had always been
called the Garden Parlor, but when Lady Mercer had come to live at Adelphi
after her marriage, she had taken one look at the room and renamed it. It was
now the Museum Room.
    As soon as they entered the
room and Miss Hyde-Price was settled on the couch with her foot elevated, Lady
Mercer asked Miss Parrish if she would play the piano for them. She graciously
agreed and began to play quite beautifully, with a surprising amount of passion
in such a shrinking violet. As soon as the music began, the ladies formed
little groups. Lady Cynthia dutifully went to entertain Miss Hyde-Price. Lady Stoughton
held court with Lady Doncaster and Mrs. Hyde-Price. Henrietta chatted amiably
with Mrs. Parrish. Isobel noticed Lady Edgerton seated by herself near the
hearth and grudgingly felt compelled to join her, until she felt a hand on her
elbow guiding her toward the settee. “I’d love a comfortable little coze, Miss
Kennilworth. Would you join me?” Lady Joanna smiled at Isobel as she led her to
the seat by the French doors.
    “Of course, Lady Joanna, it
would be my pleasure,” said Isobel, happily dismissing all thoughts of Lady
Edgerton.
     “I have heard all about what
happened to you and want you to know I am sickened at how you were treated. My
mama says you will not be accepted in society because of this. How can anyone
possibly blame you?” said Lady Joanna without preamble.
    “The ton does not need
a reason to lay blame, Lady Joanna. Anyone involved in a scandal, innocent or
not, is tainted by it.” While this was true, what Isobel did not say was that
all of London knew that she had trapped Reginald into marriage. While she was
duchess, this was of no account and not spoken of, except in whispers. Now that
she was simply Miss Isobel Kennilworth, the unsavory details of her “courtship”
and marriage would be trotted out for all to dissect until something juicier
came along. The ton would agree with Drew, drat him, that Isobel had
plotted her own demise.
    “I think men are horrible, do
you not?” asked Lady Joanna, in what seemed to be a non sequitur to Isobel, but
made perfect sense to the mercurial Lady Joanna.
    “Not all men,” ventured
Isobel, thinking of Lord Westcott, but choosing not mention it aloud. “Lord
Mercer is quite nice.”
    “Yes, but he is already
married and Lady Mercer has him well-trained. This is my first season. It is
not going well, at least according to Mama and Papa, so they brought me here to
this house party. I am not taking, you see.” Lady Joanna did not sound the
least chagrined. On the contrary she was gleeful.
    “And I would speculate,”
Isobel said to the little minx, “that you are not taking, because you do not
want to take.”
    Isobel looked at the girl
before her. She was not a beauty, but she had